http://www.slamonline.com/college-hs/hs-diary-mohamed-bamba/#3UaW3soMtg6So1Zy.97
This kid is awesome. Thinks about recruiting at such a different level than typical high schoolers and has a great head on his shoulders. I am confident that whatever school he chooses will be the best for him.
1 Like
Interesting stats on the alumni that heās tracking. But he should be aware that correlation does not imply causation. Are people successful b/c they go to school X or do successful people go to school X. Thereās plenty of evidence that the latter is the primary factor.
Also, curious about how the 1-and-done factors into his decision. The same statistical analogy applies. Are they 1-and-done because of the school or because theyāre that good a prospect in the first place. Again, the evidence leans toward the latter. If thatās his take, then he should discount the 1-and-doneās and account for the programās ability to develop players, which favors Michigan. I really hope the coachesā presentation on his development struck a chord with him.
1 Like
I am not the statistical analogy applies the same in regards to 1 and done. The Michigan coaches can have a presentation about his development but every night Bamba turns on the tv he can see KAT starring in Minnesota, Davis in New Orleans, Noel in Philly, Cousins in Sacramento. He can see guys like Hood in Utah, Plumlee in Portland, Okafor in Philly. Bamba seems very intelligent for a high school kid but he still needs to be realistic. For the best mix of basketball/academics Duke is probably the right choice. In regards to big men making the biggest impact in the NBA and the college that can take various types of big men with different skill sets Kentucky is probably that place.
Ability to develop players is good but a guy like him should also be looking at the ability to develop players that can translate to the next level.
1 Like
While I donāt deny that those schools have a proven track record with one-and-dones, if Bamba is really interested in leveraging alumni connections for his career after basketball (as he has suggested), Michigan is probably second to none in that regard ā and better than Duke. (OK, Harvard has a lot of powerful alums too, but their gym is worse than some high school gyms and they donāt get national TV exposure, so they shouldnāt really count.)
There is probably a legitimate criticism that M doesnāt showcase bigs enough in its system but I would hope JB has provided him ample assurance that our system would be based around Bamba from day one if he should decide to come here. (And obviously he would be an instant starterā¦ canāt play seniority games with top-3 draft picks.)
There are some interesting comments from Bamba. I think Michigan is checking all of the academic and alumni boxes. Michiganās lack of NBA big men might just work to their advantage though providing Beilein has a vision for Bamba that inspires him. And if heās looking to be showcased Michigan will have a roster full of complimentary pieces.
Last update Bamba was planning on signing in the Late Signing Period. My guess is his āleaderā will probably change a couple dozen times in his own mind between now and then. Opining or trying to read tea leaves based on small snippets of information now is an exercise in futility.
Michiganās in the running for him; thatās good. Come March if Michigan is still being mentioned for him, thatās a lot better.
Ultimately everything is an exercise in futility, thatās why we have diversions.
Would love to get him back on campus one more time.
I think heās Dukeās to lose. Hopefully Bolden and or Jeter stay another year and Wendell Carter commits. I could see Duke selling him on still coming if only 1 of those are still there.
1 Like
I donāt see jeter going anywhere
FWIW
4 Likes
Certainly think that this doesnt hurt anythingā¦
PJ Washington is supposed to commit there later today also.
Great news
1 Like
He wants to be a stretch 4 in collegeā¦or he did earlier.
1 Like
I am not sure that news will amount to much. Calipari has shown he can play 2 bigs at one time. He did with Randle and Cauley-Stein and he did it the following year with Cauley-Stein and Anthony-Towns. Maybe Bamba will come to Michigan but there has never really been a time that Beilein has shown the ability to play 2 bigs at one time. Would he do that with Wagner and Bomba? Big guys havenāt really thrived under Beilein during his 10 years here.
1 Like
I donāt think it hurt that PJ Washington also committed to Kentucky yesterday. That is two top 25 front court players in the class. Yeah I think Bamba is better than either and would easily still have a starting spot there. I do think that this changes recruiting tactics for Cal. He is most certainly going focus on his backcourt now. It remains to be seen if Cal with his foot off the gas is better or worse than Beilein going all in as recruiters. It just certainly canāt be hurting our chances
1 Like
I think you play your best 5 playersā¦when JB has two bigs that are his best 5 he will play them together.